Yingxian Green Pepper

Yingxian Green Pepper

Yingxian Green Pepper is a geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Yingxian boasts fertile land, relatively abundant water resources, and a highly skilled farming population, offering uniquely favorable conditions for green pepper production. Over the past few years, the county Party committee and government have continuously strengthened infrastructure construction. By integrating water conservancy and agricultural development funds, they have successively built five 10,000-mu high-efficiency water-saving demonstration zones and developed 100,000 mu of pipe irrigation, sprinkler irrigation, and seepage irrigation, reducing the per-mu water usage for green peppers from 80 cubic meters in the past to around 45 cubic meters.

　　The county government has mobilized and organized vegetable farmers to establish 146 associations. These associations, centered on the seedling cultivation, planting, sales, and processing of green peppers, have brought together a large number of science and technology demonstration households, major marketers, and brokers, leading farmers into the market. The associations provide free pre-production, mid-production, and post-production services as well as technical guidance to vegetable farmers. The county has also launched a vegetable information network in 187 villages, where over 150 vegetable brokers have set up blogs to communicate with merchants and farmers in a timely and localized manner. Yingxian prioritizes science and technology for pepper development. In 2007 alone, it held 62 training sessions in rural areas, training 58,300 farmers. It established 850 science and technology demonstration households, promoted 110 varieties, and introduced 12 new technologies, laying a solid foundation for improving vegetable quality.

　　To strengthen the green pepper industry, the Yingxian County Party Committee and government promoted pollution-free cultivation techniques across the county’s 240,000 mu of green pepper fields in 2007. The county cultivated 20,000 mu of green peppers meeting national A-grade green standards and developed 100,000 mu of premium green peppers. It built 12 major green pepper markets with an annual trading volume of 1 billion kilograms. Additionally, 37 pre-cooling, constant-temperature storage, and dehydration facilities were established, achieving a processing capacity of 55,000 tons, forming a well-rounded mechanism for production, storage, sales, and value-added processing of green peppers. Currently, Yingxian has become the largest green pepper production base in northern Shanxi.

　　Geographical Scope

　　Green peppers are produced within Yingxian County, Shuozhou City, Shanxi Province. Yingxian is located in northern Shanxi, spanning longitude 112°58′–113°37′ east and latitude 39°17′–39°45′ north, with a parallelogram-shaped land area. It borders Hunyuan County to the east, Pingshuo and Shanyin County to the west, Huairen County to the north, and Fanshi County and Dai County to the south. The county has 12 townships, a population of 283,000, including 252,000 agricultural residents, with total agricultural income of 2.475 billion yuan, a per capita rural income of 3,946 yuan, industrial output of 890 million yuan, a total area of 1,708 square kilometers, stretching 47.5 kilometers from north to south and 46.5 kilometers from east to west. Transportation is highly convenient, primarily by road, with a road density of 39.7 kilometers per 100 square kilometers in the county seat. Yingxian is situated at the southern end of the Datong Basin, characterized by one-third mountains, two-thirds plains, flanked by the Hengshan, Longshou, and Huanghua mountains, and encircled by the Hun River and Sanggan River. The terrain slopes from south to north, with the highest elevation at 2,333 meters. The total production area is 2,000 mu, yielding 1.2 million kilograms annually.

　　Natural Ecological Environment and Humanistic Historical Factors

　　(1) Soil and Topography: The soil distribution in Yingxian is influenced by terrain, topography, hydrology, parent material, vegetation, and human activities, making it relatively complex. Most of the county’s soil is sandy loam, deep and fertile, with the general characteristic being indistinct zonal distribution but certain regularity.

　　(2) Hydrology: Located at the southern end of the Datong Basin, Yingxian features sedimentary fans from the Dashiyu and Ruyueyu valleys, bordered by the Zhenziliang Reservoir to the north and the Sanggan River to the west. Its total water resources amount to 150 million cubic meters, with per capita water resource availability of 564 cubic meters. The county’s surface water flow totals 60 million cubic meters, and groundwater reserves are 90 million cubic meters. Surface runoff mainly comes from seasonal floodwaters, and there are currently 12,000 irrigation wells in Yingxian.

　　(3) Climate: Yingxian has a temperate continental climate, with distinct seasons influenced by seasonal changes. Climate variations are primarily controlled by southwest air currents, following an annual pattern of: average annual temperature of 7.1°C, extreme maximum temperature of 36.6°C, extreme minimum temperature of -30.5°C. Monsoons are concentrated in winter and spring, with prevailing southwest winds, an average annual wind speed of 2.4 meters per second, and maximum wind speed of 20 meters per second. Average annual rainfall is about 380 millimeters, unevenly distributed throughout the year, mostly concentrated in July, August, and September, accounting for 65% of the annual total. Average annual evaporation is 1,858.5 mm, concentrated from April to October, accounting for over 75% of the annual evaporation. The first frost typically occurs in late September, and the thaw generally happens in late April of the following year, with the frost-free period in mountainous areas lasting 90–110 days.

　　(4) Humanistic and Historical Background: Yingxian green peppers are highly favored for their large size, thick flesh, bright color, crisp taste, storability, and ease of transport, becoming a renowned local specialty both domestically and internationally. With a long history, as early as the Yao and Shun periods, there was a saying that "Yao passed farming to his son." Emperor Yao sent his eldest son Danzhu from Pingyang to the fertile, low-lying land of Zhangzi to cultivate grains and vegetables. Danzhu diligently farmed this ancient land, once enriched by the sweat of Emperor Yan and Shennong, carefully cultivating bountiful grains and delicious fresh vegetables. Notably, the green peppers harvested (then called pointed peppers) had a unique flavor—sharp and "needle-pricking" when chewed, "cone-piercing" when bitten—offering long-term benefits such as strengthening the spleen, stimulating appetite, and enhancing health and vitality, making them a beloved vegetable of the time.

　　After the founding of New China, Yingxian green peppers built upon traditional cultivation methods by adopting modern science and technology, continuously improving growing techniques, and further enhancing variety quality. They can be eaten raw like fruit or cooked in various ways—stir-fried, fried, deep-fried, boiled, steamed, used in fillings, or pickled—delivering delicious flavors. Processed into green pepper paste, they offer year-round enjoyment, showcasing a high-end flavor and earning the reputation of the "World’s Sweetest Pepper." Since the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee, the people of Yingxian have developed this traditionally advantageous product, making green pepper cultivation a key industry for farmers to achieve prosperity. They continuously improved production conditions and expanded planting areas, achieving regionalized cultivation and scaled operations. The county’s planting area reached over 200,000 mu, with an annual output of more than 900 million kilograms, making it the largest green pepper production base in the country. In 2001, the Nanhézhuang Vegetable Wholesale Market, the largest in North China, integrating accommodation, entertainment, long-distance cooling transport packaging, and vegetable quarantine, was designated by the Ministry of Agriculture as one of the national designated vegetable wholesale markets. Every mid-July,

　　high-rise vegetable trucks from Guangdong, Hunan, Hubei, Henan, Shandong, and other provinces pour into Yingxian, crossing the Yangtze River to reach Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hainan, and then re-exporting to Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and other regions, showcasing their excellence in both domestic and international markets.

　　Production Technical Requirements

　　(1) Seedbed Facility Specifications: Choose high, dry, easily accessible land with good drainage and irrigation to establish seedbeds, using improved solar greenhouses and small plastic greenhouses for seedling cultivation, with disinfection of the facilities. Specifications: Improved solar greenhouse: ridge height 0.5–1 m, span 2.5–2 m; small plastic greenhouse: ridge height 1–1.5 m, span 2–4.5 m. Cultivation season: spring and summer.

　　(2) Variety Selection: Choose disease-resistant, high-quality, high-yield, storage-friendly, and marketable varieties. For early spring open-field cultivation, select mid-to-early maturing varieties with strong disease resistance, cold tolerance in early stages, heat tolerance in later stages, and high yield in early and mid-phases. Seed quality: meets Grade 2 or higher standards of GB16715.3-1999. Open-field green pepper varieties: bell-type mid-to-late maturing varieties—"Zhongjiao 4," "Zhongjiao 7," "Tunyu 9," "Cuilong 216"; horn-type: Guyu Big Horn Pepper, Phoenix City, Starlight 118; lamb’s ear-type mid-to-late maturing variety: "Bulgarian Lamb’s Ear Pepper."

　　(3) Production Process Management: Before sowing, soak dry seeds in 55°C hot water for 15 minutes with constant stirring, then remove and soak in 30°C warm water for 6–8 hours, rubbing gently. Afterward, wrap the seeds in fine cotton gauze and place them on a 25–30°C hot kang (heated bed) to germinate, rinsing with clean warm water 3–4 times daily. Sow when 70% of the seeds show "white tips" after 5 days. Prepare seedbed nutrient soil by mixing three parts sieved sandy loam from bean or cereal crop stubble, five parts well-rotted horse, cow, or chicken manure, and one part furnace cinder. Add 1.5 kg superphosphate and 250 g urea per cubic meter of soil, till lightly twice, mix the top 1 cm of soil thoroughly with fertilizer, level, and press lightly before leveling again. Disinfect the seedbed soil by applying 10 g of carbendazim mixed with 10 times its volume of fine soil per square meter, evenly spreading it on the seedbed surface, tilling it in, and leveling before sowing. Sowing period: around March 20, using 10–15 g of seeds per square meter based on seed size and planting density.

　　Sowing Method: For spring protected cultivation, sow when the soil temperature in the greenhouse reaches around 12°C and the air temperature is above 20°C. Before sowing, sprinkle a small amount of hot water on the bed and evenly spread a thin layer of medicated soil (10 g per square meter) or 0.5 cm of nutrient soil. Mix "white-tipped" seeds with fine soil, shake thoroughly in a fine sieve until uniformly sized single seeds form, then gently scatter them into the moistened seedbed. Cover with 1 cm of soil, then plastic film for moisture and warmth retention. To prevent "capping" during emergence, apply another 0.5 cm of fine soil when seedlings begin to emerge.

　　After Emergence: Remove the plastic film to cool down. Gradually lower the seedbed temperature from emergence to full emergence, maintaining daytime temperatures of 20–25°C and nighttime temperatures of 16–20°C. If cracks appear, sprinkle fine soil to seal them. From full emergence to the first true leaf stage, enhance ventilation, keeping daytime temperatures at 22–24°C and nighttime at 12–14°C. Thin seedlings promptly: after cotyledons unfold, remove weak or diseased seedlings, retaining those with sturdy hypocotyls, unfolded cotyledons, and vibrant green color, spaced 1.5–2 cm apart.

　　Seedling Transplanting: When seedlings develop two leaves and one heart, transplant them. Three to four days before transplanting, acclimate seedlings to lower temperatures (daytime 20–25°C, nighttime 12–14°C). Initial transplant spacing: 5 cm × 5 cm; second transplant: 10 cm × 10 cm, with ample watering and soil covering to aid establishment.

　　Post-Transplanting Fertilizer and Water Management: Focus on water and fertilizer control during the seedling stage. At 3–4 leaves, apply growth-promoting fertilizer based on seedling condition. Harden seedlings: for early spring seedlings, 5–6 days before transplanting, remove all covers (if no frost) to harden them. Vigorous seedling standards: height 18–22 cm, sturdy stem, 9–13 expanded leaves per plant, thick dark green glossy leaves, well-developed milky-white roots, pest-free, with visible buds. Early spring transplants can occur at 6–7 leaves.

　　(4) Product Harvesting: Harvest in batches when the skin turns green, firm, and glossy. Especially for the first peppers (door peppers), harvest early to avoid affecting the growth of upper fruits. Open-field cultivation must be completed before the first frost, with product quality meeting NY5005 standards.

　　(5) Production Record Requirements: Maintain technical records. Document every technical step and measure taken during green pepper growth, creating archives for reference. Pruning: after harvesting door peppers, side branches at the base of the plant may grow, consuming nutrients—remove them promptly. In the mid-to-late fruiting stage, remove old, yellow, diseased, and ineffective lower leaves after harvest to improve ventilation and light penetration and prevent disease spread.

　　Product Typical Quality Characteristics and Safety Standards

　　Yingxian green peppers are rich in trace elements and nutrients. Scientific analysis shows that per 100 grams, they contain 0.037% vitamin C, 0.011% carotene, 0.034% minerals, 0.0018% carbohydrates, and significant amounts of protein and other essential nutrients. Regular consumption not only moisturizes the skin, preserves youth, strengthens bones, invigorates the spleen, regulates menstruation, but also helps prevent and alleviate cerebral thrombosis, septicemia, schistosomiasis, and breast hyperplasia, while showing notable efficacy against gastric cancer, lung cancer, liver cancer, uterine cancer, and breast cancer.

　　Typical quality characteristics of the product and regulations on product quality and safety

　　Yingxian green peppers contain a variety of trace elements and are highly nutritious. Scientific analysis shows that every 100 grams of green peppers contain 0.037% vitamin C, 0.011% carotene, 0.034% minerals, 0.0018% carbohydrates, and a large amount of other essential nutrients for the human body such as protein. Long-term consumption not only helps moisturize the skin, retain youthfulness, strengthen the body and bones, invigorate the spleen, boost qi, regulate menstruation, but also helps prevent and alleviate conditions such as cerebral thrombosis, septicemia, schistosomiasis, and breast hyperplasia. It also has significant therapeutic effects on diseases such as gastric cancer, lung cancer, liver cancer, uterine cancer, and breast cancer.

　　The Yinxian green peppers were certified as pollution-free agricultural products by the Quality Center of the National Ministry of Agriculture on July 30, 2004, and registered under the trademark “Yingzhou Green” with the National Trademark Office.

　　Relevant regulations on packaging and labeling

　　Raw materials (green peppers) are purchased from contracted production bases with supply agreements. Substandard, small, damaged, insect-infested, misshapen, or otherwise inferior fruits are removed. They are packed at 20 kilograms per box. The packaging should be marked with the words “Yinxian Green Peppers,” the geographical indication of the agricultural product.